‘Paid Patriotism’: Senators Accuse Military of Wasteful Sports Tributes

Posted 2015-11-04 17:38 by Grunt Report

That military tribute you saw at your last pro ballgame — a service member’s stirring rendition of “America The Beautiful,” a surprise “welcome home” ceremony for returning troops, a soldier’s ceremonial first pitch — may not have been a charitable gesture by the home team.

Instead, that event may have been paid for by the Pentagon, part of a multimillion-dollar program to promote the armed services and boost recruitment through patriotic events, game tickets, player appearances and other perks.

That initiative was detailed in a Senate report released Wednesday that described the spending as “inappropriate and frivolous” and criticized the Department of Defense for failing to disclose and keep track of such deals.

“Americans deserve the ability to assume that tributes for our men and women in military uniform are genuine displays of national pride, which many are, rather than taxpayer-funded DOD marketing gimmicks,” Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, the report’s co-authors, wrote.

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

They also criticized the dozens of pro teams that took the Pentagon’s money.

“Given the immense sacrifices made by our service members, it seems more appropriate that any organization with a genuine interest in honoring them, and deriving public credit as a result, should do so at its own expense and not at that of the American taxpayer,” the senators wrote.